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Monday, December 7, 2009

Hershey's Kisses: Irish Crème filled (Limited Edition)

OK, I admit it. As soon as I saw Cybele's review (be sure to read it here) for these kisses, my Candy Envy went into warp speed and I set out on a quest for my own bag. Unluckily for me, these kisses seem to be Target exclusive, and I live close to what might be the most ghetto Target in the county. (If you have seen them elsewhere, please leave a comment.) But in the name of selfless research for the betterment of humanity, I braved the elements and purchased a bag.

It's funny that I tend to like Irish Crème flavor far more than I like an actual glass of Irish Cream liqueur. (I wonder why the variant spellings?) Anyway, if you have never had Irish Cream/Crème, it's a mixture of whiskey, cream, and coffee flavors (sometimes with real whiskey, but not in this case). And while I may not ever choose Irish Cream as an after dinner drink, I do like Irish Crème flavored coffee creamers and candies.

Opening the bag the first thing you smell is the Irish Crème. It's a sweet, warm coffee-like aroma. It's a little overwhelming in the beginning. But the individual kisses have a really wonderful whiskey-like smell.

These kisses have a milk chocolate outer shell, and the inner filling is the Irish Crème flavor. I like that Hershey's kept the proportions closer to the classic kiss than they have with some of the special editions past, such as the New York Cheesecake Kisses.

The milk chocolate is standard issue Hershey's. It's sweet, it's got a slight grain, it's got a strong milky taste. So do I really have to go on?

With this kiss, it's all about the center. The Irish Crème flavored fondant is smooth for the most part, but there is a little sugary grain. The flavor could be described as cheap coffee creamer meets cheap store-brand Irish Cream. They are super sweet, and the main flavor seems to be "fake alcohol" -- not necessarily a specific one, just sort of a Star Trek Synthahol flavor. There's kind of a coffee taste...but I'm not sure if I am really tasting coffee or if it's just that the chocolate is slightly more bitter than the filling, and thus it might be an aftertaste resulting from the two flavors combined. It's pretty rare that candy ever makes my throat burn, but this one did.

It's not that these kisses are dreadful, even if I just made it sound that way. They're not dreadful at all. They're just one of those flavors that sounded like a great idea, but in reality didn't pan out all that well.

No, I probably won't just throw them away. But I'm not sure I'll finish them soon, and I certainly won't be buying another bag.

i agree. i was so thrilled to see the bag in target, but soooo disappointed when i tasted one. i tried to pawn them off at my son's birthday party only to find kids trying to trade these candies for something else.